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Immediate dentures...leave in or out at night???

N

nosmokin2

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 29, 2009
Messages
129
Location
Washington
Grrrrrrr....my immediate dentures have loosened up already after the first soft liner was put on. Dentist told me to keep them in 24/7 for at least 5 weeks. My gums must be changing fast because I just had the soft liner done less than a week ago. Most nights I wake up and find my lowers laying next to me on the mattress. And when I do manage to keep them in all night, I find that I've bitten/chewed on my tongue to the point that it's sore the following day. Is it true you can choke on the lowers if they are too loose??? I don't go in for another soft liner for another five weeks yet. Any way they can adjust the lowers just to tighten them up a bit?

nosmokin2
 
Hi there, I have an immediate lower partial and was told that it should always be left out at night to rest the gums. I am wondering if the fact you are leaving them in all the time is making it not fit properly. I know by days end for me they tend to sink in and therefore making it a bit painful, loose, and uncomfortable. By taking them out at night come morning they fit just right like they are supposed to. I have had two soft relines done. the first one lasted 9 weeks and the second...well I still have that one.

Try leaving it off at night and see if things improve.
 
I just asked my dentist the same question today, Nosmokin! I was told that I should be taking mine out at night for the very reason Olivacs mentioned... your gums will expand at night and make your dentures more snug when you replace them in the morning. I was told it was like taking jeans out of the dryer; when you first put them on they're snug but as the day wears on, they get looser. Soaking your dentures overnight is like putting your jeans in the dryer. Only it's your gums that change, not the dentures. ;) I'd been leaving mine in most of the last 12 days, but went without a couple times. I felt guilty for leaving them out. :giggle:

As for choking on your dentures, you'd have to have a REALLY big throat. I doubt anybody has ever had that happen with a full denture. People with epilepsy can wear dentures, and if they were a choking hazard, I wouldn't think they'd be safe?

You should be able to go back in for another reline before your next appointment. My dentist told me today I can come in any time for an adjustment. I just had one today and go back on the 3rd for another. They said I could come in sooner if I wanted.
 
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Thanks Olivacs and Cielo! I called the dentist right after I posted here. They told me to leave the lower deck out at night. I'll be seeing the dentist this Wednesday morning for an adjustment. They'll probably add some more of the soft liner. I woke up with a start at 6 am this morning when I had bitten down hard on my tongue...ouch!! At least I won't have to worry about that happening again for at least two nights.

nosmokin2
 
:jump:Yay for adjustments! I wish my dad had known he could go in for relining and rebasing. He suffered for decades with ill-fitting dentures, and I remember wishing there was something he could do to be more comfortable. I didn't have a clue about any of it. :rolleyes:

I'd like to find some of that reline stuff they mix up. You could patch a tire with that stuff!
 
I'm getting soooooo discouraged today because of the loose lowers. Having a hard time chewing and I was doing so well. Just finished toast (again) and the lower just kept moving around. All the movement is irritating the extraction sites that much more and they were healing so well....I feel like I'm back to square one all over again.... :cry:

nosmokin2
 
Please don't get discouraged. My lower that I have does that a lot to me and it takes getting used to. I bet you will notice a huge difference when you remove them at night and let your gums rest instead of wearing them all of the time. The looseness will not be as bad as you experience now.
Hang in there...it gets better!
 
ugh...I'm sitting here with just the uppers in and the lowers soaking for the night like the dentist advised. I don't think I'll get much sleep with just the uppers in.....it's a strange feeling that is almost making me gag. Think I'll lay down and watch a movie before I decide....but I have a feeling that I'll be popping those lowers back in before I lay down for the night....:shame:

nosmokin2
 
I hope you were able to leave the lowers out last night? It's an awful feeling at first, Nosmokin, but it's not long before you get used to it. I prefer to keep at least the uppers in at night, but my dentist said not to any more.

Did you ask about using an adhesive with the soft liner? I was given the go-ahead to use it starting today. I'm a little apprehensive, though. More fear of the unknown. :rolleyes:
 
I did leave the lowers out last night and slept ok after taking a pain pill. Gums were pretty sensitive and swollen this morning but not for long. Lowers are once again dancing around and I had a hard time chewing toast. Uppers are slipping just a little but I'm hoping they'll do something about that, too since my next appt is 5 weeks away.

Adhesive....I'll ask them AGAIN when I go in tomorrow morning. Dentist said to go ahead and use a dab if needed....assistant that did the liners said NOT to use anything. I'll ask the assistant that actually wears dentures. The lowers are useless if they aren't stable enough to chew with and talk clearly.

I'm noticing really fine 'scratches' here and there in the surface of the denture. I'm using a soft toothbrush and am very careful with them. Can't figure out what's happening with them.

nosmokin2
 
I'm sorry you're having problems. I'm right there with you if it helps? It's nice to be able to compare notes... so many different sets of instruction!

I would imagine the use of adhesives might depend on the type used. Mine are Visco-Gel.

You'll probably find your gums will toughen up faster leaving the denture out at night. Mine did just after a couple nights.

Look really closely at the scratches on your dentures. I thought I had a spot in the finish, but it turned out to be just a little excess liner on the outside of a front tooth. What a relief that was! I sure felt silly when the assistant showed me what it was, though. :redface:

I was assured that the acrylic used in the dentures is pretty tough stuff. Abrasives (toothpaste) are to be avoided, but a good brushing with a soft brush is fine. The denture brush I was given seems much harder than the toothbrush I actually use.

Good luck at your appointment tomorrow. I hope things feel better afterwards.
 
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I agree the gums will toughen up if you leave them out at night. They have to be sore from the constant pressure they had from wearing the dentures so long. I have an acrylic partial called a flipper I guess and the same thing happened to me..thought it was a scratch and it ended up being some of the lining material.

Do you have hooks on the lower ones? If so, see if they can adjust the tightness of the hooks...a little adjustment makes a huge difference.

By the way I am glad I have a cleaning appointment this week because this past Thursday when they were doing molds from my crown a piece pf plaster from the mold got stuck in between the two front teeth of my partial and I CANNOT get it off. It is so annoying and I cannot wait to have them remove it. LOL

Good luck at your appointment tomorrow and let us know how you do..
Hugs..
 
Ok....just home from the dentist. He tells me to keep the lowers in at night but that's not going to happen after nearly biting my tongue off! He says I'll bite myself once or twice but it's to be expected. Once was more than enough for me!
He also told me NOT to use denture paste/adhesive at all. He says I need to 'train' my tongue to keep the lowers in place. Welllllllllllll....I can train my tongue to do a lot of things so I figure I'll keep trying with this until I get the next soft liner done (in 4 and a half weeks). If things don't improve by then, I will start using the adhesive!
He did thin out the back of the upper plate which has already improved the gaggy feeling I had every time I took out the lowers. But nothing at all was done to the lower plate....because my tongue is in 'training'....I guess... ???
So that where I'm at right now....still a bit discouraged but determined to make things come together eventually...

nosmokin2
 
Isn't it odd how we get differing opinions in such a small geographical area? I would have expected it to be more uniform.

I feel for you biting your tongue, but I kind of wish I could bite mine. I can grip it with my teeth, but I can't bite down hard enough to hurt. There just isn't enough strength in my jaw.

My tongue isn't into the whole training thing. It wants to push all this plastic OUT. If you develop any good training techniques, could you pass them on? ;)

They didn't redo the liner for you today? I thought for sure they would with the trouble you were having. Did they have any suggestions as to what to do when your mouth gets sore from the lower plate being loose?

Oh, and what did you find out about the scratches?

Hang in there, Nosmokin. We've still got a loooong road ahead, but I know we can do it. :grouphug:
 
Hi Cielo! The scratches were apparently from the soft liner goo. They disappear when I scrape gently with my fingernail. No.....no soft liner was added today. Just advised to use my tongue more to hold the lowers in place. I've been looking all over for the powder adhesive (Sea Bond?) but haven't found it yet. Any suggestions? Two dentists in the same office have differing opinions it seems.....a week ago, one of them told me a little adhesive wouldn't hurt. The dentist that actually made the dentures told me not to use the adhesive. He said my gums will eventually toughen up and be less sore. Tongue in training here... :)
Sorry to hear you're having a time with chewing and working that jaw!! Hopefully, it will just be a matter of time for that to mend itself.

nosmokin2
 
Isn't that a relief when the scratches come off? :p

I found Fixodent Extra Hold powder at the Wal-Mart in Chehalis. Your Wal-Mart should carry it too, I would think. I bought some, but haven't tried it yet. I used the goopy stuff today. I think I saw Sea Bond at Rite Aid, but I'm not positive.

I tried another fruit cup today and was able to eat the whole thing... with chewing! It may not sound like much, but I wasn't able to eat one a week ago. :yay:

So, the dentist that made the dentures said not to use the adhesive, but it sounds like it's more to get your tongue trained than fear of damaging the liner, is that how you took it?
 
Sounds like you're making progress with the chewing. It's going to take time and practice for both of us I think. I'm fixing bbq chicken and ricearoni for the familiy tonight....I'm going to attempt the chicken with a baked tater. Yep....dentist never mentioned a thing about adhesive doing any damage to the liner. So I'm going to give my gums another week or two to toughen up before I try out some of the samples I got in the goodie bag from the dentist. (Now does that make ANY sense?? Samples of goop from someone who advises against using them...LOL!)

nosmokin2
 
I agree that we sure do get different advice on the dentures being left in or out. My dentist said to leave mine out at least 5-6 hours a day.

I sure emphasize with you both with eating and chewing. I just have a lower partial and I have a hard time chewing anything crunchy. This has been going on since March so as you can see it's not fun. I was able to eat potato chips for the first time yesterday....chewing only on one side though because i have a temp. crown on the other side.

I haven't tried any adhesives..maybe I will ask the dentist tomorrow when I have my cleaning...I sure hope they can clean all my reline material off of my denture too and the plaster molding they used for my impressions for the crown last week. I have a big glob of plaster in between the 2 front teeth and i cannot scrape it off to save my life.

With the adhesive, how hard is it to remove the denture then to clean it?
 
Nosmokin, (forgive me if I mentioned it already) I made BBQ'd chicken a few nights ago. I was able to eat it (sans lower) after shredding it very small. It was so nice to get some REAL protein!

I got a Fixodent starter kit with the denture cup, a tiny tube of Fixodent, some cleaning tablets (4) and a denture brush. The brush is so stiff I don't think I want to use it on my brand new teeth!

Olivacs, you do give us hope since you're so far ahead. I just never realized how long it would all take. I was just told "It'll be a while..."
I dont know how hard it is to remove the denture and clean it with the adhesive. I haven't taken it out yet to try. :whistle: I'll report back after I've gotten that far.
 
The denture brush is rather stiff I agree. I use a soft head toothbrush and so far so good.

Please do let me know once you take the dentures out on how it went!! Good luck!!
 
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